Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, was convicted for the murder of two FBI agents in 1977, when he was involved in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation, fled the scene, and was put on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list. In the years following, he gave several conflicting alibis as to his whereabouts on the morning of the shootout.

The conviction has been criticized by groups such as Amnesty International, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, and the Soviet Peace Committee.

According to a university news release, “the statue is part of a movement to raise awareness for Peltier’s pardon request,” described as a “push by supporters in the final days of Barack Obama’s presidency.”

Both supporters and opponents were vocal on the AU Facebook page, with some expressing disgust that the university would host the statue, while others applauded the move as a stand for “racial justice,” even suggesting that Peltier’s guilt was merely a corollary question.